Are these the first signs of Schizophrenia?

Question

Am I in the prodromal phase?

I don't mean to sound like a hypochondriac. My friend largely influenced me to post this. SHE insists that I seek professional help and that I am in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia. Tell me what you think.

I feel different for the past year. I have acted out more violently, social anxiety has worsened slightly, and I don't know the reasons for this.

I am somewhat extremely oversensitive to insults. I used to not care so much. Now I feel as though I should seek revenge on a person for a stupid comment.

My violent impulses have included...

Injuring my friends.

Throwing things/smashing things when in the heat of an argument

Self-harming when really distressed or angry

Recently breaking a window.

I have also lost some interest in being social in the past year, though I have always been shy. I am not motivated for school, I missed many days a year. Maybe I am just lazy, though. I don't know.

I realize that sometimes I get paranoid ideas but I only notice they are paranoid until my friend points it out to me or it is resolved somehow.

I think my mom..erm..sometimes thinks sexually of me. I think she thinks of me in a sexual way. So I kind of not wear revealing clothing around her(I don't wear revealing things anyway) I don't know where I got this idea from. She has never done any sort of sexual abuse to me before.

If I had a bad day, I think my shirt may have caused it. I may not wear that shirt for awhile...convinced it has some sort of 'properties' that make it attract bad luck.

I do things a certain way(brush my teeth, for example) to assure a good day. If I don't, I feel that 'something' gets mad at me and whatever it is will make my day worse if I don't do something a certain way.

I recently got this feeling my mom may die soon. I was afraid she might, so I pleaded inside my head to not let her die. I pretended that something acknowledged my plea and wouldn't let her die to reassure myself. Now, I don't think she'll die. I had no idea why I thought that at first.

I can't connect with people on a social level. I have nothing to say to them. Unable to make any more friends. But I guess I am content with that.

I have also hallucinated before. Long story short, I heard my friend say things that she apparently didn't say. She isn't the type to fool around like that. This happened several months ago. Hasn't happened since. Hasn't happened for a long time.

I suddenly cannot sleep easily no more. I am not neccesarily 'thinking too much' at night or doing anything different from what I was doing a year ago to cause any sleep disruptions. Sometimes I cannot sleep at all.

If someone laughs, I think it's about me. Or whispers. I get the feeling people are staring.

So is my friend right?

Answer 1

First, I recommend you see a psychiatrist(everyone should in my opinion)

Secondly, I think your friend is mentaly abusing you. I had a friend who said I was paranoid too but later on I found out that he actually was saying nasty thing via his other friends telling me. I suggest you reduce your time hanging around this "friend" of yours.

Its my opinion though. I could be completely wrong.

Answer 2

Sounds like it could be an obsessive-compulsive disorder which is a chronic anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. OCD is distinguished from other types of anxiety, including the routine tension and stress that appear throughout life. The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone. Although these signs are often present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) or some other condition.

Diagnostic criteria

To be diagnosed with OCD, a person must have either obsessions or compulsions alone, or obsessions and compulsions, according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. The Quick Reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR (2000) states six characteristics of obsessions and compulsions:

Obsessions

Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.

The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.

The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.

The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind, and are not based in reality.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts are not actually connected to the issue, or they are excessive.

In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the individual must realize that his/her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive. Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning. OCD often causes feelings similar to those of depression.

Symptoms and prevalence

OCD manifests in a variety of forms. Studies have placed the prevalence between one and three percent, although the prevalence of clinically-recognized OCD is much lower, suggesting that many individuals with the disorder may not be diagnosed.The fact that many individuals do not seek treatment may be due in part to stigma associated with OCD. Another reason for not seeking treatment is because many sufferers of OCD do not realize that they have the condition.

The typical OCD sufferer performs tasks (or compulsions) to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety. To others, these tasks may appear odd and unnecessary. But for the sufferer, such tasks can feel critically important, and must be performed in particular ways to ward off dire consequences and to stop the stress from building up. Examples of these tasks are repeatedly checking that one's parked car has been locked before leaving it, turning lights on and off a set number of times before exiting a room, repeatedly washing hands at regular intervals throughout the day, touching objects a certain amount of times before leaving a room, or walking in a certain routine way. Physical symptoms may include those brought on from anxeties and unwanted thoughts, as well as tics or Parkinson's disease-like symptoms: rigidity, tremor, jerking arm movements, or involuntary movements of the limbs.

However, the general idea of a person with OCD (washing hands, checking doors etc.) is not always the case. There are OCD sufferers who are convinced that reality is non-existent, that they are destroying people's souls merely by looking at them, that people are being possessed and many more.

There are many other possible symptoms, and it is not necessary to display those described in the lists below to be considered as suffering from OCD. Formal diagnosis should be performed by a psychologist, a psychiatrist or psychoanalyst. OCD sufferers are aware that their thoughts and behavior are not rational,but they feel bound to comply with them to fend off feelings of panic or dread. Although everyone may experience unpleasant thoughts at one time or another, these are short-lived and fade away in time.For people with OCD, the thoughts are intrusive and persistent, and cause them great anxiety and distress.

Contamination

A major subtype of the fear category is the fear of contamination some sufferers may fear the presence of human body secretions such as saliva, blood, sw

Answer 3

I certainly think you should make an appointment to see your GP. S/he will be able to discuss the problems you are experiencing, and will be able to help you to decide whether you need further help, either from a counsellor, or from a psychologist/ psychiatrist. Please don't feel ashamed or afraid to do so, as the doctors are not there to judge you. They are there to help you to get the best treatment possible.

by the way, is your friend a doctor, by any chance? if not, then I think you should take what she says with a pinch of salt. By the way, I have had some of the experiences you are having, and I'm nowhere near to being schizophrenic!! The hallucinations could be caused by your lack of sleep, which in turn can be caused by anxiety or depression, the problems socailising by shyness ( I have that problem - am trying to tackle it, though). Sometimes people think someone has said something when they haven't (I've done that more than once). Many people have superstitions, as you seem to have.

It sounds to me as if you have become stressed out and maybe a little depressed, which has made you focus more on your problems. Visiting your GP will help you to gt back on track.

There are simple explanations for all your difficulties, and I hope that the ones I have given will be helpful in sorting out those problems which are distressing you the most.

Answer 4

I'd go see your doctor, they will be able to send you for assessments, I don't think it would be right to diagnose you on here. I'd say your friend is right in having concerns that you should seek help

Answer 5

You sound really run-down. There's no harm in seeing someone.. even if its just to confirm that there isnt anything wrong but you need to rest for a bit. If you leave these problems to carry on they will only get worse and you could have a massive breakdown. This doesnt sound normal - i work with people with mental health problems.

Answer 6

I agree with the guy above. Sounds like OCD. Might be good to see a doctor and explain to them, It can get pretty debilitating if it gets out of hand.

I used to have some ideas like that myself during a particularly stressful period of my life. I used to think i was getting omens from everywhere (particular things were bad luck etc.). It got pretty full on for a while but you have to realize that all the patterns and meanings you are giving to stuff is all inside your head.

I actually never went to a doctor, i just got out of the house, got into doing lots of exercise. Stopped smoking and doing drugs, that helped a lot but not totally. It's good to tell someone though because sometimes it's hard to tell if it's getting out of hand. Eventually i started to do Sahaja Yoga Meditation and that eventually seemed to chase it all away.

Just be careful though. Don't let it get on top of you. See a doctor just to be on the safe side.